Best Knee Brace: The Complete Guide to Selecting the Right One in 2019

Do you have an injured knee or just need support and protection while walking or playing sports? Then a knee brace is a solution to your knee problem.

Using a knee brace will allow you to protect your knee from injuries. It also allows the natural healing process to take place for an injured knee.

Using the brace will hopefully allow patients to bypass knee surgery, which can be invasive and difficult for the body to handle.

If your knee requires some additional support for walking or doing exercise, then you should buy a knee brace in order to lengthen the life of your knee. After all, as humans, we are unable to walk without the proper functionality of our knees.

After thorough research, we eventually came up with two categorize of knee braces.

What is a Knee Brace?

Many people wonder what exactly a knee brace is and how it can help. The brace maintains a position for the knee that remains unaltered so that movements do not occur that could injure the knee further.

For example, if you have a torn ACL or MCL then the ligaments and tendons in your knee are very sensitive to moving in the wrong direction even with a simple task such as walking.

To avoid this it is best to keep the knee in place instead of allowing the knee to wobble. While you are sitting down or sleeping this is quite easy to do, but normal activity, such as going to school or work, can often be difficult if you must walk. This is where knee braces are useful.

A knee brace is not an expensive item so it would be useful to take every precaution and buy a brace even if your injury does not feel bad. It is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to such a crucial part of your body.

Common Knee Pain Causes

The knee joints are prone to taking a real beating from daily activities, which is why knee problems are so common. Knee pain can have several causes, as a variety of ailments include knee pain as a symptom. Athletic or other physical activities can also cause knee joint pain. Some common knee pain causes include:

Arthritis – Arthritis is a very common cause of knee pain, with millions suffering from it each year. It affects the joints, particularly those that bear weight like the knees. Arthritis damages the cartilage, which results in swelling and pain.

Ligament Injuries – This is another common cause of knee pain, particularly for athletes and other physically active populations. Pain is typically experienced when the affected ligaments are in motion.

Cartilage Injuries – This occurs when the cartilage is damaged due to some form of trauma.

Patellar tendonitis – It causes pain across the front of the knee. The patellar tendon is a large tendon that assists in the bending of the knees. An inflamed tendon will cause pain when the knee joint is in motion.

Chodromalacia patella – This is a condition in which the cartilage behind the knee joint softens and becomes weak. Chondromalacia patella is quite common in children.

Bursitis – When the bursa sacs on the knee are damaged, they will become inflamed causing pain in the knee joints.

As there are myriad knee pain causes, it can be quite difficult to self-diagnose and seek proper treatment options. Determining the root cause of the pain is critical. Qualified medical treatment is strongly recommended for those suffering from chronic or acute bouts of knee pain.

Common Symptoms of Knee Pain

Swelling of the knees

Pain experienced while resting

Difficulty bending the knees

Symptoms of infections (a cough, fever)

There are several simple home remedies that may relieve knee pain. When pain presents, immediately resting the knees can be quite beneficial, as can the application of a hot or cold compression.

How to Find the Best Knee Brace

The knee brace that fits you best will depend greatly upon your size, stature, and injury. Obviously, there are budgetary concerns as well, but your health should never be subject to finding the most affordable options. Instead, try to buy the best knee support no matter what the cost.

For some injuries, it is better to have a knee brace that is more flexible and can breathe more. However, some knee braces are better for injuries that require compression and no movement at all.

When you speak to a doctor it would be a good idea to determine what type of brace is best for your knee. He may be able to help you choose the right ones.

Just like anything, there are size requirements for knee braces as well. If you try to use a brace that is too small for your leg then it will probably do more damage than good.

Conversely, if you try to put a brace that is too large then your knee may move more than you would like.

When you are searching for a knee brace just make sure that you take all facts about your size and the injury into consideration.

Who Should Wear a Knee Brace

One of the great things about knee braces is that they do not really restrict your range of motion or ability too much. Therefore, it is easy to simply put a knee brace on and play a soccer match with the extra precaution for the knee.

Anyone who has any feeling of pain in the knee should probably wear a brace in order to prevent any further injury or long-term problems. It is really not an inconvenience so it should be worn no matter what.

For people with serious injuries, it is more important a knee brace is worn. In many cases, the knee brace is the only thing that is protecting the knee from further injury. Taking it off due to discomfort could lead to a worsening condition.

Overall, anybody that has a knee injury should wear a brace because it is a precaution that can only help protect you.

Knee Pain Treatment At Home

Mild anti-inflammatories and pain relievers are always a good choice. Then you should grab a few hot and cold packs out of the first aid aisle and apply those to the area for a few days to see if the pain goes away.

Also, check out the foot care aisle and try adding some support beds to your shoes. Poorly supported feet is one of the most common causes of knee problems.

However, if your knee pain symptoms are severe (such as being unable to walk, falling or developing a fever) you should see a doctor as soon as possible. There are many causes of knee pain that cannot be treated at home.

knee Cap Pain

The kneecap (patella) is involved in every movement that you make with your knee joints. Consequently, it is highly susceptible to pain due to the sustained pressure that you place on it as you go about your normal tasks.

A painful patella can also result from a more acute problem or a chronic condition such as a contusion, which is normally referred to a bruise. This condition develops as a result of a direct forceful blow to the knee joint.

Kneecap – Knee joint gets twisted

Another common cause of a painful knee cap is injured cartilage. This occurs when the knee joint gets twisted. This condition is common among athletes, and especially runners, soccer and basketball players.

A cartilage injury is a serious condition that could take time to heal. Regardless of the cause of your knee ailment, it can prevent you from performing your normal duties. Likewise, knee discomfort can prevent you from participating in your favorite activities or hobbies.

Kneecap – Knee pain involves the knee joint

It is easy to diagnose a painful patella. Of course, the first symptom is the pain that you’ll feel. Sometimes people tend to ignore the low-level pain in their joints. They just assume it will go away.

This is wrong especially when the pain involves the knee cap and joint. It is important to consult your doctor whenever you feel some pain in your knee. Whether you have been feeling the pain for a few days or you have a chronic problem, you should be examined by a physician.

There are many factors that could be causing the pain. This includes the presence of a serious internal injury. You should, therefore, avoid trying to self-diagnose your knee pain.

However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take some remedial measures at home when you are suffering from a painful patella. Before you consult a doctor, there are some home remedies that you can try out when you are feeling pain on your knee.

The simplest of them all is taking some rest, and putting some ice on the knee joint. These two will remedial measures will reduce the pain and any swelling that may have been caused by the injury. If you have a serious knee injury, you’ll need to rest for at least 6 weeks. This can be very hard for most people unless you are a retiree. A better treatment option can be found in the form of a knee brace.

Knee cap – knee brace can be very effective

A knee brace can be very effective in treating a painful patella. It supports the knee and maintains proper alignment of the knee joint. The resulting stability reduces the pain. It is recommendable to use a knee brace if you are suffering from a severe knee injury. It can also be very helpful if you have a chronic knee problem.

Once you consult your doctor, he/she will examine your knee manually. You may be asked a few questions including whether you have had a previous history of knee problems and your recent physical activities.

This will help your doctor to assess the problem properly. The manual examination will then be followed by an X-Ray from which the physician will determine an appropriate course of treatment. Note that, sometimes the problem of knee cap pain may require specialist treatment at a specialized clinic that deals with joints.

Typical Ways to Stop Knee Cap Pain

Many people who have knee cap pain often try to resolve their issues with a few simple tricks. One of these tricks is to use the common “R.I.C.E.” method in order to solve the pain in the short term.

This stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Each of these will not only help to reduce the pain, but also reduce any swelling or other problems that may have developed. Furthermore, it will put your knee on the fast track to getting healed again. The rest is self-explanatory.

If you are in pain then you most likely should not be doing a lot of physical activity. This includes walking on your injured knee or putting the stress of any kind on it. Also, make sure that you ice your knee on-and-off for twenty minutes every few hours.

This will help to reduce the swelling, which will also help the pain and improve the knee’s overall recovery. Compression is another important way that many people can avoid over swelling, but this should be used sparingly.

Sometimes the compression too tight will cause a lack of blood flow that is needed for recovery. The final part of this treatment, elevation, is needed to keep the blood flow from the injury by using gravity to your favor. This will also reduce the swelling.

Pain Killers for Pain

There are a number of painkillers that you may be able to find for your knee pain, but these should be taken with caution.

If you are planning on visiting the doctor while the medication is still effective, then you should avoid taking it altogether.

This will complicate the process of getting your knee pain taken care of because your doctor may not be able to correctly diagnose you.

However, if you are not visiting a doctor then there are certainly good painkiller options that you can use to your benefit. Try to find one that is anti-inflammatory as well so that the swelling can go down.

The pain might be very intense as the knee is an important part of the body. You will need to take multiple painkillers and remain on a regimen of them for a very long time. Do not overdose on painkillers as this can be difficult for your liver and kidneys to handle.

Sleeping to Relieve Knee Cap Pain

Although you may not think about it, sleeping is actually a good way to reduce the pain. Even though the pain might be apparent and still existing, your sleep will dull the effects. By the time you wake up the knee will probably still hurt, but at least you have gotten a few hours of rest in between the time you need to visit the doctor.

Sleeping is also a good way for your body to quickly heal so you are doing two great things for your body in this circumstance. However, there are many times when the knee pain is so great that sleeping is impossible.

If the pain is throbbing and you are unable to get significant amounts of rest, then you should visit an emergency room immediately in order to get your injury sorted out. There could be more to the knee injury than you initially imagine.

Many people have to deal with the pain of knee pain every year, but few take the action necessary to make the problem go away before visiting a doctor.

Knee Pain Treatment – Medical

Medical treatment may be required to provide adequate knee pain treatment. The goal of medical treatment is not only to relieve the pain but to correct the underlying cause.

Some of the causes that require medical treatment, like arthritis, have a greater implication for the whole body and not just the knee.

A doctor may prescribe a long-term course of pain relievers, anti-inflammatories or even antibiotics to help correct the problem.
Injections

For most people, injections have worked great. These are the common ones:

Corticosteroids – Corticosteroid drug injection into the knee joint is a good knee pain treatment which can let you have relief for months.

Hyaluronic acid – The hyaluronic acid is the thick fluid naturally existing in healthy knee joints, and when it is injected into damaged ones, you may experience relief through the lubrication provided. With a series of shots, you may have reduced inflammation and pain relief for many months.

Knee Therapy

The two common therapies that can be used are orthotics and bracing and physical therapy.

Orthotics and bracing – When suffering from osteoarthritis, using wedges as arch supports on the outer or inner part of the heel may help to reduce the pressure on the side of the knee affected by the disease. Support and protection can be provided for the knee joint with different types of knee braces.

Physical therapy – Physical therapy can provide stability when you stretch the muscles around the knee. Training focuses on the hamstrings (muscles in the back of the thigh) and the quadriceps (muscles on the front of your thigh).

Surgery

Surgery is also another option for knee pain treatment. Surgical procedures may be used to shave cysts or growths off the bone in the knee that are causing problems. You may also need surgery to lengthen tendons or ligaments.

Knee replacement is a very serious surgery but may be necessary if there is significant cartilage loss or damage to the bone.

New techniques are allowing for implants to replace lost cushioning in the joint so full-out replacement is not always the first and only option. There are other treatments that your doctor can provide that are not invasive – such as laser, heat, and ultrasound.

Knee Pain Treatment – Preventative Care

There is a wide range of preventative knee pain treatments that you can get in the habit of doing to prevent a recurrence of the problem. Some of these preventative treatments are simple, and you can do them at home easily.

Some of them may require regular visits to a doctor – they will depend on what was the cause of your knee pain. For many people, switching to good, supportive shoes that prevent the foot and ankle from over-pronating will go miles in preventing knee pain.

Also, developing a habit of stretching the muscles in the legs will help. The more flexible you are, the less your own muscles will begin to pull the ligaments and tendons in your knees out of place.

For other issues, such as arthritis, bursitis and other more serious knee problems you may have to take a prescribed knee pain treatment like medication to reduce pain and inflammation. Many types of knee disorders are also treated with a regular schedule of cortisone shots or ultrasound treatments that will require a visit to the doctor.

Treatments for Some Common Knee Injuries

Over the years, even simple everyday tasks take their toll on the knee joints. Women are especially susceptible to knee problems and are up to 5 times more likely to experience knee injuries than men.

It is important to discover the knee pain causes and appropriately address the issue in a timely manner.

Achy Knees: A sharp pain between the shin bone and kneecap is experienced during physical activity. A dull but constant ache persists.

Cause: Tendonitis, which occurs when the tendons connecting your shinbone and kneecap get inflamed due to physical activity and overuse. Symptoms often present during exercise.

Treatment: To reduce knee pain and swelling, take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug like Advil (ibuprofen). Proceed to rest, ice, compress, and elevate the knee, especially after exercise.

Talk to a physician about the possibility of using patellar tendon straps, which are bands placed beneath the kneecap that take pressure off the tendon and relieve pain. If these treatments are not effective, consult your doctor right away.

Stiff Knees: The knee is inflamed and sensitive, and bending or straightening the knee causes discomfort.

Cause: Osteoarthritis. The cartilage that protects the knee joints breaks down from overuse, aging, or being overweight. This causes the body to produce more joint fluid in the knee, and once the cartilage is gone, bone is rubbing on bone and the knee joints are swollen and painful.

Treatment: Losing just 10-15 pounds can reduce pain significantly by decreasing the pressure on the knees. Taking NSAIDs, resting and using ice can also manage symptoms of arthritis of the knee.

If the knee area seems infected (redness, swelling, warmth), consult a physician, as excess fluid may have to be drained off of the knee. About ¼ of patients suffering from osteoarthritis will require knee replacement surgery at some point.

Diseases that Cause Chronic Knee Pain

There are various diseases that lead to chronic knee pain, we have various types of arthritis and gout. In cases of osteoarthritis, there is a problem causing the deterioration of the cartilage in the knee structure.

In contrast to that, there are gout and rheumatoid arthritis which can often lead to pain from the formation of a cyst at the back of the knee. The cyst is formed because of the inflammation in these conditions, which causes fluids to gather.

Issues can also be caused by conditions such as lupus and bursitis. Bursitis is thought to be caused by excessive tension, for example kneeling too often.

Lupus, on the other hand, is a disorder of the connective tissue in the knee’s structure which has no clear, known cause.

While anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin can be used to treat the symptoms of these disorders, it is highly advisable that a doctor is consulted, especially when the pain persists.

Proper Treatment of Knee Pain

As you can see, there are several causes of knee pain, each with a specific treatment to provide relief of the associated symptoms.

Not all cases of knee pain can be easily diagnosed without medical advice, so if you experience chronic knee pain and are unsure of the knee pain causes, it is highly recommended that you consult with your doctor for effective treatment options.

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Knee brace

SUMMARY

A really good option for supporting the knee, both after an injury and during physical activity, is to use a knee brace. They are very easy to use, give a good amount of support, and are usually reasonably priced. It’s a great option for those who have suffered a minor knee injury, or those with chronic and long term knee conditions.

Linda Thompson, the hostess of Foot Massage Reviews and the author has been practicing massage for over 20 years and has been teaching massage techniques since 1998. She is deeply committed to promoting the many benefits of massage to a wide audience. Linda brings over two decades of experience to the health and wellness field, as a massage therapist, instructor, speaker and presenter.

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